The invention relates generally to metal fabrication including heating systems, cutting systems, welding systems and support equipment for heating, cutting, and welding operations. In particular, the invention relates to techniques for setting goals for performance of such systems, and for monitoring and analyzing actual performance against such goals.
A wide range of welding systems have been developed, along with ancillary and support equipment for various fabrication, repair, and other applications. For example, welding systems are ubiquitous throughout industry for assembling parts, structures and sub-structures, frames, and many components. These systems may be manual, automated or semi-automated. A modern manufacturing and fabrication entity may use a large number of metal fabrication systems, and these may be grouped by location, task, job, and so forth. Smaller operations may use metal fabrication systems from time to time, but these are often nevertheless critical to their operations. For some entities and individuals, metal fabrication systems may be stationary or mobile, such as mounted on carts, trucks, and repair vehicles. In all of these scenarios it is increasingly useful to set performance criteria, monitor performance, analyze performance, and, wherein possible, report performance to the operator and/or to management teams and engineers. Such analysis allows for planning of resources, determinations of prices and profitability, scheduling of resources, enterprise-wide accountability, among many other uses.
Systems designed to gather, store, analyze and report welding system performance have not, however, reached a point where they are easily and effectively utilized. In some entities limited tracking of welds, weld quality, and system and operator performance may be available. However, these do not typically allow for any significant degree of analysis, tracking or comparison. Improvements are needed in such tools. More specifically, improvements would be useful that allow for data to be gathered at one or multiple locations and from one or multiple systems, analysis performed, and reports generated and presented at the same or other locations. Other improvements might include the ability to retrospectively review performance, and to see performance compared to goals and similar systems across groups and entities.